Cons:

The tenth game in the most storied franchise in video-game history marks both a beginning and an ending. This is the first FF game for the PlayStation2, the first one to use voice acting, and supposedly the last single-player game in the series. Whether the latter holds true or not, Square has put together a spectacular finale that serves up many of the things people loved about the series and blends in new elements that make it the most complete FF game ever. This RPG is a fantastic experience that's deep enough for hardcore gamers to enjoy, while elegant enough for anyone to pick up. If this is indeed the last single-player FF game, this is a hell of a way to go out.

In terms of story, Square wisely chose to stick to the basics. While there are numerous subplots and motivations, this game is essentially about a good guy trying to stop a bad guy. All the roles are clearly defined -- unlike FFVIII --and the story is easy to follow. This isn't to say that the plot doesn't have interesting turns; it's that the twists seem more appropriate and make more sense than in previous FF games. Thankfully, there are no convoluted allegories involving metaphysics or some such nonsense. The protagonist of the story is a star athlete of a sport called Blitzball, think of it as a cross between water polo and American Gladiators. After his city's destruction he's thrust one thousand years into the future where the world is threatened by an evil force called Sin. It sounds ridiculous, but the story and characters are so well developed that it's totally believable that a water-polo player will save the world.

Tetsuya Nomura is back as the game's character designer. Stylistically the game looks like FFVIII, but does a far better job at creating compelling characters. Although FFVIII sported the most realistic FF characters to date, they just weren't very interesting -- especially the main character. One way to say it is that FFVIII's Squall was too moody and brooding; another way would be to say he was a jerk and most players secretly cheered when he died. Although the characters in FFIX were extremely charming, many critics felt that Square had taken a step back with its cartoon-like characters in that game. FFX does a commendable job in that it features lifelike character models that have interesting personalities. Although its main character, Tidus, looks like a garishly dressed Leonardo Dicaprio, he's gregarious and flawed -- two traits that make him instantly endearing.

The supporting cast fits in nicely with established RPG archetypes while still having individual moments to shine. The women range from the innocent damsel, the bitchy ice queen, and the mischievous youth. Males include the affable lug, the silent man-beast, and the mysterious older warrior. Thanks to the writing and the quality voice acting, each character manages to be distinct without straying from the archetype.

Speaking of speech, this is a magnificent first effort from a voice-acting standpoint. The game features outstanding work from Tara Strong (Batgirl from Batman: The Animated Series) and gaming stalwart Gregg Berger (who also voiced Grimlock in Transformers). However, since the animations were created for the original Japanese dialogue, there are some moments where the words and mouth movements do not match up, making for a cheesy kung-fu-movie effect.